Automatic circuit-closer.



No 'ref erenc e's PATENTED FEB. 5, 1907.

L. GHARBONNEAU. AUTOMATIC- GIRCUIT CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1906.

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nnrrnn STATES Specification of Letters Patent.

PATENT OFFICE;

WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

CIRCUIT-CLOSER.

Patented Feb. 5, 1907.

Application filed November 21, 1906. Serial No; 344.512.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEANDRE CHARBON- NEAU, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of lVoonsocket, in the county, of Providence and State of Rhode Island ,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Circuit-Closers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in circuit-closers or thermostats of thefusible type employed in electric signaling and adapted to become automatically operative .upon the breaking out of a fire in or contiguus to a room in which the device is located. The invention consists in the combination of a 'pair of suitably-mounted laterally-separatedcurrent-conducting posts, each profviied-with means for clamping or securing thereto the respective terminal of the main zo-conductors or wires of an electric circuit, a

' se l fdropping swinging current-conducting :garmone er jointed to one of the sail posts, having its free end extending through a loop orrring'of the other post, and a suitably-supor maintaining the latter in the normal centralposition in said loop, the electric circuit then being open and inoperative.

IIILdBViCGS'Of the class which relate to my invention the electric current supplied from suitable source flows through a circuit having a signal hell or alarm locate therein :and capable of being energize. or made operative when the circuit is closed. As usu- .ally ldevised the movable contact member is g actuategl by means of a spring at the instant the" supported connecting 1nc .iuin of lowfusing metal meltsas, for example, in the case of a fire.

The object I have in view is to profuce a simple and inexpensive circuit-closing tovice in which the movable contact member thereof when freed from the fusible connection drops by gravity action alone, toe said orten fusible connection joined to said levcraction being equally responsive and eiiicient open. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the device, the battery, bell, and main conductors being omitted. Fig. 3 is an end elevation.

E Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 1 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 1s a part1alvert1calsection, in enlarged scale, showing a manner of securing the post members to the base; i and Figs. 6 and 7 represent the device mountviews corresponding with Fi 3.

The following is a more adapted to be secured to a wall or other sur.

with a pair of current-conducting nuts or collars 1) b adapted to firmly holdorbind main conductor, as clearly shown. per portion of the post 0 is provided with an integral annular eye or ring 0, having a com paratively large diameter. To the corresponding end of the fellow post I) is jointed a or lever (1, its free en -extending centrally through sai;i ring 0 and as drawn having a cylindrical weight (i -fixed thereon. At a pointsay midway of the lever d-the latter has soldered or otherwise secured thereto a short connection f of low-fusing metal, in turn secured to the vertical supporting-post 0, fixed in the base, the construction and arrangement of the several members being such that the lever 11 when in the normal position will lie in a horizontal plane and centrally of the ring a, substantially as repre- Assuming my improved circuit-closing device A to be suitably mounted and cut in or interposed in one (m m of the main conductors of an electric circuit which includes abat- 1 tery B and signal-bell S, the manner of its operation may be described as follows: The current from theibattery charges the main conductor m leading to the bell, and also charges the portion m of the fellow main conductor, as well as the post 0 and its ring or eye 0, all being in continuous electrical connection witli the battery, the other portion ed. in two different positions as in use, the

and screwei into the base and also provided sented in the various figures of the drawings.

detailed descrip-f tion of my improved automatic circuit-clos ing device A: The base a, made of wood or other suitable non-conducting material, is

face by means of nails or screws passing 8o the free end or terminal of the corresponding 1 The up-- swinging current-conducting horizontal arm m of the main conductor leading to the bell and the post I) and lever (1 then being normally uncharged. Now upon the breaking out of a fire contiguous to the device the heat therefrom will fuse the solder or'connection f, thereby freeing the lever 61 from the support e, at which instant the lever swings downwardly by gravity until its free end is arrested by frictional contact v\ ith the inner side of the said conducting-ringc. (See corre spending position, indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1, 3, 6, and 7.) The action of the fall ing lever at the same time, too, automatically closes the circuit and charges the previously-uncharged members and energizes the bell, thereby sounding an alarm and completing the operation. The device may be readily reset by simply lifting the lever to the horizontal central or normal position and resecuring it to the support a by means of a new fusible connectionf.

My improved circuit-closing device A is adapted to be placed as represented in Fig. 1 or inverted, as shown in Fig. 7, or even in any intermediate position, Without changing or modifying its construction at all, the device being equally efficient and operative in any of said positions. This I consider a most important feature.

It may be added that in most cases I deem it advisable to permanently secure the terminals held between the binding members I) b by soldering all the adjacent parts together, thereby preventing any liability of the conductors from becoming accidentallyloosened.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, 1s

1. As an improved article of manufacture, the automatic circuit-closing device substantially as herein described, the same comprising a plurality of independent suitablymounted current-conducting binding-posts adapted to be located in an electric circuit and also adapted to be secured tive terminals of a main conductor, a substantially horizontal self-dropping currenteonducting contact member in continuous engagement with one of the said posts and extending through but normally disengaged from the fellow post, and means secured to the said movable contact member capable of being fused at a comparatively low to the respec- 1 l l l l i l i l l l l l l l l 1 l l l i degree of l 5 cent surface of said eye heat so as to release the latter from its normal position and close the circuit by gravity action, said action being irrespective of the plane in which the posts are located with respect tov the said movable member.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, the circuit-closing device substantially as herein described, the same comprising a base iember, a pair of binding-posts fixed therein arranged to firmly hold the respective terminals of a main conductor of electricity, a swinging self-dropping conductor member jointed to one of said posts and extending horizontally therefrom, a fusible connection for maintaining the said movable member in the normal inoperative position, and having the other one of said posts terminating in an enlarged eye or ring having the free end portion of the movable memberlocated centrally of and extending through the eye of said post.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with the base, a binding-post secured therein, and a self-dropping currentconducting arm jointed thereto, of a suitablysupported fusible connection for maintaining said arm in a normally fixed substantially horizontal position, a fellow binding-post also secured to the base having its free end terminating in an integral ring or eye, and having the outer end of said arm passing transversely through tite center of said ring, substantially as hereinbeforc set forth.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a suitably-mounted current-conducting swinging arm d, a connection fusible at a low degree of heat fixed to the arm and adapted to maintain the latter in the normal inoperative position, and a fixed conducting post or member having an integral eye through the center of which the free end portion of said arm freely extends, constructed and arranged so that the arm drops by gravity and contacts with the adj ato close the circuit whenever the said fusible connection is melted, substantially as described.

Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this 20th day of November, 1906.

LEANDRE CHARBONNEAU.

\Vitnesses GEO. H. REMINGTON, Josnrn E. BRocr-IU. 

